NLC, TUC Alert Fed Govt To New Trade Union

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) have alerted the Federal Government to the existence of a new labour union.

Their letter dated January 19, was signed by the NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba and his TUC counterpart, Comrade Bobboi Kaigama.

Titled: Need to avert anarchy in the industrial relations system in the country: Mushroom/Shell trade unions and addressed to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, the two leaders said they were constrained to bring the issue to the minister’s attention because of the damage the new union could cause to the labour movement.

They said the new union’s leaders, after failing in their bid to lead the NLC, following the successful conduct of the rescheduled election at the 10th delegates’ conference of the congress last March, set up the union.

The letter reads in part: “Some of our colleagues have been making concerted efforts to destabilise the industrial relations space in the country. This started with the effort to fractionalise the NLC, which failed after almost two years of trying. In their desperation, they have now purported to float a new trade union centre with the name United Labour Congress of Nigeria. In the last couple of months, they have collected forms for the registration of dozens of some trade unions without membership.’’

It said all the unions being wooed by the splinter faction are adequately covered by existing unions.

“One expects that people who operate at our level will know the relevant provisions of the Trade Union Act, but perhaps we are assuming too much. The Trade Union Act CAP T14, LFN, 2004, Section 3(2) provides thus: “But no trade union shall be registered to represent workers or employers in a place where there already exist a trade union,” the letter said.